Furner under fire as Raiders fail to fend off Titans attack

Furner under fire as Raiders fail to fend off Titans attack

THE Heat on Canberra coach David Furner that led to the sacking of star fullback Josh Dugan last week was nothing compared to what the Raiders walked into on the Gold Coast yesterday.

In hot and humid conditions that prompted the NRL's medical officials to enforce the competition's heat rules, the Raiders were their own worst enemy, missing 35 tackles and completing just 22 of 37 sets on the way to a 36-0 shut-out by the Titans.

Hooker Matt Srama and halfback Albert Kelly scored first-half doubles for the Titans, with Kelly's second coming in the shadows of half-time as Canberra threatened to post its first points of the match.

Instead, a cross-field bomb landed in the arms of Jamal Idris who sprinted over half-way before finding Kelly who raced away to score under the posts.

The Raiders had some chances in the second half, but poor handling proved costly.

To compound matters, giant Canberra forward Tom Learoyd-Lahrs was placed on report in the 72nd minute for a shoulder charge on opposite number Ryan James.

The victory margin was Gold Coast's biggest in the club's history - the previous record was a 38-12 win against Parramatta in 2007.